Manchester City v Everton: Premier League – as it happened
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2014/dec/06/manchester-city-everton-premier-league-live Version 0 of 1. 7.26pm GMT19:26 FULL TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Everton Eto’o breaks into the area down the right and wins a corner off Demichelis. But his corner is easily cleared, and that’s that! City hold on! They can count their lucky stars - they could easily have been down to nine men in the first half, while the decisive penalty was soft to say the least - but then they did lose star man Sergio Aguero within two minutes of kick off. So swings and roundabouts, I guess, even though Everton might not see it that way. City move to within three points of Chelsea at the top of the table. What looked an insurmountable eight-point gap now looks very workable. The 2014-15 Premier League title race: it’s on! Updated at 7.42pm GMT 7.23pm GMT19:23 90 min +4: Milner makes off down the right, holding the ball up well, the clock ticking away, time continuing its relentless march. 7.22pm GMT19:22 90 min +3: It’s very scrappy right now. City’s nerves are betraying them. If they hold on, they’re right back in this title race! If they don’t ... well, they’re still in it, but what a difference this win will make. 7.21pm GMT19:21 90 min +2: The second sees City clear it easily enough. 7.21pm GMT19:21 90 min +1: There will be five minutes of added time. The first sees Everton win a corner down the right. 7.20pm GMT19:20 90 min: Barkley is booked for a dive. He went down easily, but Lampard did bump him from behind. This isn’t one of the great refereeing performances. Not least because City were looking at a three-on-two break when Andre Marriner stopped play! Updated at 7.35pm GMT 7.19pm GMT19:19 88 min: Toure is booked for his part in a tussle with Eto’o. Mirallas is swapped for Osman. Milner is down getting a little attention after getting an elbow in the chops from Barry, who has already been booked. This could easily have been a red-card-fest. 7.17pm GMT19:17 86 min: Everton can’t get hold of the ball right now. City are pushing them back, and while they’re not creating much in the way of chances, that’ll do them right now. 7.15pm GMT19:15 85 min: Milner, down the inside right, slides a pass inside for Dzeko, who shoots from the edge of the area but sees his effort loop out for a corner. Milner takes an age in getting across to take it. When it eventually arrives, it’s a lot of nonsense. But the clock’s ticking down, and that’s all City’ll care about. 7.13pm GMT19:13 83 min: Nasri is sent skittering away down the left, into acres of space. He hesitates upon reaching the Everton box, but checks inside, then looks to belt one into the top right. His effort is blocked, and lands at the feet of Lampard, who turns by the left-hand post and scoops a ball back into the middle for Dzeko. But Everton clear. 7.12pm GMT19:12 82 min: Everton triangulate awhile. Then Barry slides a powerful pass down the left channel, and Eto’o shuttles it on for Lukaku with a first-time flick around the corner. Lukaku’s in the box with the ball at his feet, and belts a pearler towards the bottom right. Hart gets a strong hand to the ball, turning it round the post, a wonderful save. The resulting corner comes to naught. 7.10pm GMT19:10 80 min: City knock it around the middle awhile, in the hope of taking a little sting out of the game. Everton certainly fancy their chances of grabbing an equaliser here, and have looked dangerous when the game’s been stretched, so it’s an understandable tactic. 7.08pm GMT19:08 78 min: Lampard comes on for Navas. He’s immediately involved in a wonderful move, chipping a reverse ball down the inside-left channel for Dzeko. The striker heads down inside for Milner, who lashes a first-time volley wide left. That would have been picture-book pretty. 7.05pm GMT19:05 76 min: Eto’o, 30 yards out, scores three rugby points. 7.05pm GMT19:05 75 min: Coleman is sandwiched out of it by Milner and Mangala as he looks to break into space down the right. No free kick, which rankles with Everton, especially as City flood up the other end and win a corner down the right. The set piece comes to nothing, but that’s not really the point of Everton’s ire. They’ve not had the decisions tonight. 7.03pm GMT19:03 73 min: Milner rakes a ball from the left wing to the other side for Navas, who waits before freeing the underlapping Zabaleta into the area. But the full back faces a tight angle, and he wangs a cross-cum-shot into the stand behind the goal. 7.02pm GMT19:02 72 min: Mirallas takes a pretty poor set piece, blootering it straight into the wall. He’s fortunate that it pings out for a corner on the right, but Baines can’t beat the first man with the set piece. Everton have looked good on occasion in this second half, yet Hart’s had little to do. 7.01pm GMT19:01 71 min: Eto’o has clearly decided to turn it up a notch. He bursts down the inside-left channel and earns a free kick, Toure coming across and flipping him into the air like a fried egg. This’ll be a free kick, nearly 30 yards out, just to the left of the goal. Updated at 7.08pm GMT 6.59pm GMT18:59 69 min: Eto’o has a thrash at the ball from the edge of the City D. He doesn’t connect cleanly, but the ball’s deflected and it’s another corner down the left. And once again the ball is hoicked high into the air, allowing Hart to come and claim with ease! Another chance to apply a bit of pressure passes by. Updated at 7.17pm GMT 6.57pm GMT18:57 67 min: First Mirallas, then Lukaku, are lucky to escape bookings after, respectively, a cynical tug on Navas’s shirt, and a lunge on Clichy. I wonder if the referee is aware he went a bit easy on City in the first half, during their Moulin Rouge phase? 6.56pm GMT18:56 65 min: Some end to end excitement. First Barkley goes on a Gazzaesque dribble down the left, but trips over Zabaleta as he looks to move menacingly towards the City box. Toure latches onto the loose ball and romps upfield, finding Milner in space down the left. He should make for the box and shoot, but opts to lob in a cross, giving Everton the chance to intercept, which they take. 6.53pm GMT18:53 63 min: Milner knocks the ball into acres down the left and races after it. He gets to it before it rolls out of play, and finds Nasri, who dribbles around in the box awhile to little effect. And then seconds later Milner’s romping down the wing again, causing a few Everton hearts to flutter with a dangerous-looking cross that’s cleared after a fashion. 6.52pm GMT18:52 62 min: Everton have been creeping back into this match. With this in mind, the substitute Pozo, promising but callow, is substituted. Dzeko comes on in his stead. 6.50pm GMT18:50 60 min: All a bit scrappy at the moment. And then Mirallas goes on a dance down the left, beating a couple of men and busting into the box. He can’t quite get a shot away before City swarm around him, but that was a very positive run by this excellent winger. 6.47pm GMT18:47 58 min: Mirallas, found by a lovely crossfield ball from Barkley, threatens to zip past Zabaleta down the left, but settles for a corner. The set piece goes straight down Hart’s throat. A chance to put a little pressure on City goes by. 6.45pm GMT18:45 56 min: Barkley comes on for Besic. Everton are clearly looking to step it up in an attacking sense. 6.45pm GMT18:45 55 min: Besic, out on the left, finds Eto’o in the centre. The striker’s on the edge of the box, with his back to goal, and attempts to softly guide a bicycle kick over Hart. Nope! And it’s a double whammy of nope, because soon after Mirallas attempts to recreate his screamer against Tottenham last weekend, only to send the ball into the top-right corner of the stand behind the goal. 6.43pm GMT18:43 53 min: Milner dances and jigs down the left, keeping possession with four men around him. He really is an excellent player, highly under-rated. He pulls the ball back for Nasri, whose curling cross just evades Navas, storming in from the right with a view to heading home from ten yards. That would have made a fine goal. 6.41pm GMT18:41 52 min: Barry clatters into Milner at high speed down the City left, and in the clumsy fashion to boot. He’s in the book, and can have no complaints whatsoever. 6.40pm GMT18:40 50 min: Milner does wonderfully well to keep a bouncing ball in play down the left. He zips down the wing, then fires a low cross into the area. Pozo meets the ball first time, ten yards out, and sidefoots powerfully towards the bottom left. It’s a clean, crisp strike, but Howard sticks out a foot to deflect the ball wide left. If Pozo lifted that ball off the floor, it was a goal, but even so, what a save! The corner leads to nothing. Updated at 7.13pm GMT 6.37pm GMT18:37 47 min: City start the second half very much on the front foot. Nasri stands on the edge of the Everton area, to the left of the D, for what seems like a minute, sizing up a curler into the top right. Everton close down all opportunity. The early pressure gets the crowd going again, if nothing else. 6.36pm GMT18:36 And we’re off again! To be fair, City don’t have that much to croon about in the miserable style: they could easily be down to nine men, with the score 0-0. As things stand, they’re closing in on Chelsea. Everton get the second half underway. 6.27pm GMT18:27 Half-time entertainment: For those cursing Aguero’s injury, or the penalty award, or lack of red cards, or any other unspecified complaint. ♬ Gloom, despair and agony on meDeep dark depression, excessive misery ♯♪ If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at allGloom, despair and agony on me ♬ 6.20pm GMT18:20 HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Everton What a strange half of football. 6.19pm GMT18:19 45 min +3: Mirallas, who is a superlative player, goes on a high-octane dribble down the inside-right. He very nearly breaks into the box, but is robbed by Mangala at the death. Decent play all round! 6.19pm GMT18:19 45 min +1: Nasri robs Barry in the centre circle and skitters off down the right. His high cross is chested down in the Everton box by Coleman, and it looks at first glance as though the full back’s handled that, letting it run down his chest and onto his arm. But the referee’s called that one correctly, if the replays are to count for anything. He’s not got everything right tonight, Andre Marriner, but that was a fine decision. Updated at 6.49pm GMT 6.15pm GMT18:15 45 min: There will be four extra minutes tacked onto the end of this half, for the early Aguero-related stoppage. 6.15pm GMT18:15 44 min: Toure was down with some unspecified complaint of the leg. For a second he looked like becoming City’s second casualty of the match, but after a while he’s up and about. Updated at 6.47pm GMT 6.13pm GMT18:13 43 min: Nasri is having an excellent game, as is Milner. The pair jink around to the left of the Everton D, a shoulder dropped here, a pass exchanged there. Eventually Pozo is slipped clear into the area down the left. Coleman blocks the resulting shot, which balloons over the bar for a corner that’s wasted. 6.12pm GMT18:12 41 min: Pozo twists and turns down the right to win a corner for City. Demichelis rises to blooter a header wide right. “James McCarthy looks a better and better player the longer he spends out of the side,” suggests Gary Naylor. “By Christmas, he’ll be Lionel Messi.” 6.10pm GMT18:10 39 min: Another high ball lifted down field by Everton, and City are in a little bother again. Eto’o battles for it in the box, and it drops to Mirallas, who launches a low heatseeker towards the bottom left. It’s a fine strike, but one that’s deflected wide left by a wonderful block by Zabaleta. The resulting corner is wasted, but this is better by Everton. 6.09pm GMT18:09 38 min: A garryowen down the right wing nearly catches City out. Mirallas very nearly takes down the high ball. If he did, he’d be scooting clear on goal. But it clanks off his shoulder. 6.07pm GMT18:07 36 min: City win a corner down the left. They take it short and balls it up, an over-intricate nonsense, but the ball squirts along the byline and very nearly finds Fernando, looking to flick a boot at the near post. Howard wins a footrace and gathers. Just as well, because it didn’t require much of a dink to turn a loose ball into a goal. 6.05pm GMT18:05 34 min: Nasri, just inside the Everton box on the right, turns on a sixpence and lashes a shot goalwards. Howard parries well. Soon after, Pozo drags one wide left of goal from a similar position. City are beginning to push Everton back now. Updated at 6.27pm GMT 6.03pm GMT18:03 31 min: Replays of that penalty suggest Jagielka went shoulder to shoulder with Milner. And the City man made absolutely no claim for a spot kick when he got back up. It was certainly a soft decision. City have certainly had the benefit of the referee’s largesse so far this evening. Updated at 6.23pm GMT 6.01pm GMT18:01 29 min: A stramash (RIP Arthur Montford) in the Everton area. Nasri nearly gets a snapshot on goal. Then Toure threatens to break clear down the left channel and take a whack. But it never quite opens up for City. Everton eventually clear. 6.00pm GMT18:00 26 min: Fernando is booked for recklessly booting Barry in the head. Another high kick! It’s very acrobatic, if nothing else. A yellow card. But first Mangala, now this ... City are chancing their arm here with this homage to the can-can. This is what the Premier League would look like had it been founded during La Belle Époque. Updated at 6.17pm GMT 5.55pm GMT17:55 GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Everton (Toure 24 pen) Toure slaps a sidefoot into the bottom left. Howard goes the right way, but can’t get a hand to it. City lead, and are closing in on the leaders as things stand! Updated at 6.15pm GMT 5.54pm GMT17:54 Penalty to Manchester City! 23 min: Nasri goes on a magnificent run down the left wing, a high-wire act along the touchline. He reaches the byline but can’t quite find a man in the centre. Such a shame, because that was a blistering dribble. But no matter! City come again, Toure feeding Milner into the area down the left. Milner’s bundled over - rather softly, but he is bundled over - by Jagielka. The referee points at the spot. Updated at 6.13pm GMT 5.51pm GMT17:51 20 min: City triangulate beautifully down the right wing, Everton pinned back in the box. Zabaleta nearly breaks into space down his wing, but is forced to turn back. Toure takes up possession and attempts a precision curler into the bottom left from the edge of the area. It zips wide of the left-hand post, but only just, though Howard had it covered. 5.49pm GMT17:49 18 min: Corner for City down the right. Nasri whips the ball into the mixer. It’s cleared by Everton, and the whistle blows for a foul. And no wonder! Mangala highkicks Eto’o in the back! It’s a red card all day long, that. But he only sees yellow for his karate pastiche. Eto’o doesn’t look particularly happy about that one at all, and you can hardly blame him. What dismal refereeing. 5.47pm GMT17:47 17 min: Besic is robbed in the centre circle by Toure. City stream forward. Milner finds himself in acres down the left, then delivers the worst cross in the history of association football. A chance to test Everton spurned. 5.45pm GMT17:45 15 min: Besic upends Toure, 40 yards from the Everton goal. A chance for City to fling a free kick into the box. They attempt a training-ground number, a couple of crisp triangles momentarily surprising and confusing Everton. But the ball’s soon flying into the stand down the right, the wheels coming off the routine in double-quick time. 5.44pm GMT17:44 13 min: Coleman has two opportunities to fizz crosses into the City area from the right. Neither ball finds Lukaku or Eto’o, and the flag eventually goes up for offside. But this is a fairly bright start by Everton, with City looking fairly open at the back. 5.42pm GMT17:42 11 min: Coleman is booked for a cynical tug on Clichy’s shirt as the City full back looks to break up the left. He can’t really moan, although it did look as though he took a slap in the chops as the two were battling for the ball, so perhaps he’ll feel hard done by that Clichy wasn’t reprimanded as well. 5.41pm GMT17:41 10 min: In the momentary silence, Lukaku overpowers Zabaleta down the left and tears into space. He’s got nobody upfield with him, and stands with the ball at his feet, arms stretched out in pantomime annoyance. Eventually Mirallas makes a move into the box, but Lukaku can’t find him. City clear. 5.40pm GMT17:40 9 min: While all that was going on, City won a corner down the right through Milner, but did nothing with the set piece. The sense of occasion has been diminished by that early injury. 5.39pm GMT17:39 7 min: Actually, no, poor Aguero is limping around the pitch with tears in his eyes. It’s clearly a sore one, at best. He’s replaced, at long distance, by Pozo and slowly makes his way around the field. The good news is that a stretcher is not required, Aguero making his own way back to the warmth of the changing room. Which would suggest that, while this is a painful one, it won’t be a long-term injury. Of course, time will tell, I’m nothing more than an armchair quack. Updated at 5.53pm GMT 5.36pm GMT17:36 5 min: Aguero lies on the turf shaking his head as the physio manipulates his knee this way and that. He eventually gets up and hobbles off the pitch. It looks as though no serious damage has been done, because player and physio - on the far side of the pitch - are discussing whether it’s worth the risk of continuing. The game restarts with City down to ten men. Updated at 5.56pm GMT 5.34pm GMT17:34 2 min: Hibbert plays Everton into early trouble with a dismal clearance. It puts City on the front foot. Aguero looks to bust past Coleman down the left, but he’s soon bundled to the ground. There’s not much in the challenge, but Aguero lands awkwardly, then gets up, over-stretches as he pushes off again, and twists his left knee. He’s down in some pain; this doesn’t look good. 5.31pm GMT17:31 And we’re off! City get the ball rolling, with lusty chorus of Blue Moon rolling down from the stands. A fine atmosphere which suggests all the Christmas shopping has been completed, and cold refreshment has been taken. City knock it around the back awhile, and then Mirallas gives Navas a light cuff round the lug. No fuss is made. We move on. 5.29pm GMT17:29 The players are on the pitch. Everton are indeed in their royal blue jerseys. A blessed relief in a world consumed by marketing bullshit. Congratulations to Everton and, indeed, their kit suppliers Umbro. Toast them by raising a glass of Chang. Hands are being slapped - handshakes having fallen out of fashion at least two decades ago, if the time it’s taken me to notice is any guide - and pompous rubbish is spilling out of the PA speakers. We’ll be off in a minute! Updated at 5.50pm GMT 5.04pm GMT17:04 The team news. Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala return for City, who pack the midfield and leave Sergio Aguero alone up front. He’s usually enough, they find. Everton make two changes with defender Tony Hibbert and striker Samuel Eto’o replacing midfield men Ross Barkley and Leon Osman. City will be playing in their famous powder blue (pictured here in black and white) ... ... while Everton, if last season is any guide, will be parading around in their renowned dark blue, though perhaps the marketing manager will have them running around in second-choice black or third-choice white. Unless I raise the subject again, assume they’re in their first-choice gear, as pictured here: 4.35pm GMT16:35 Dramatis personæ Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Clichy, Fernando, Toure, Jesus Navas, Milner, Nasri, Aguero.Subs: Sagna, Dzeko, Kolarov, Caballero, Lampard, Boyata, Pozo. Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Barry, Besic, Mirallas, Lukaku, Eto’o.Subs: Robles, McGeady, Barkley, Osman, Pienaar, Garbutt, Alcaraz. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands) 4.30pm GMT16:30 Manchester City will surely have warm, cuddly, wobbly feelings about Everton from last season. Their 3-2 win at Goodison Park late in the run-in effectively decided the title, for it forced Liverpool into chasing goals at Selhurst Park a couple of days later, and we all know how that panned out. But the early-season meeting at the City of Manchester Stadium was a doozy, too, Everton going ahead early on before City came back at them with a vengeance, eventually winning a very pretty game by three goals to one. Another match like either of those - two determined teams going at each other with panache and flair - will do the trick this evening. City will be favourites. They’re the champions, of course, and they’ve got Sergio Aguero in their ranks. What more reason do you need? OK, here’s another: after stuttering their way through the tail end of October and early November, it looks like Manuel Pellegrini’s side are getting their chops up. They’ve just won their fourth game in a row, a highly impressive 4-1 shellacking of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, and will accordingly be in the mood to home in on leaders Chelsea, who slipped up earlier today at Newcastle. Ten goals in three games tends to keep the spirit buoyant. Everton by comparison have been woefully inconsistent this campaign. They’ve only won seven of the 20 games they’ve played in all competitions, were comprehensively turned over by an impressive Tottenham last weekend, and huffed and puffed after going ahead against Hull during the week. A trip to City doesn’t exactly guarantee much-needed succour. But Roberto Martinez could do with a big performance, in order to stave off suggestions that he might be suffering second-album syndrome. He’ll be banking on Everton’s relentless creativity - just because the results haven’t been coming, it doesn’t mean the football hasn’t been flowing - and City’s occasionally profligate defence. There’s also the fact that, last season apart, Everton have proved something of a bogey side for City in recent years - they’ve won here on four of their last seven visits, no mean record. Will the hosts and champions do what’s expected of them, and move to within three points of leaders Chelsea? Or will Everton rediscover their City-bothering mojo? It’ll be fascinating finding out. It’s on! Kick off: 5.30pm. |